positive strategies for managing behaviour in esol prison ... · behaviour in esol prison classes...
TRANSCRIPT
esol.britishcouncil.org
This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financingby the European Fund for the Integration of Third Country Nationals
Positive strategies for managingbehaviour in ESOL prison classes
ESOL Nexus professional development
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ESOL Nexus professional development modules are intended
to help teachers to develop in their role in a range of
contexts. They have been written by expert practitioners and
quality assured by a wider team. We hope that you will find
this module useful. For other professional development
opportunities, see
http://esol.britishcouncil.org/professional-development
This module is about managing behaviour in a positive way in
ESOL classes in a prison environment and is suitable for
teachers at any stage of their career.
It considers issues underlying poor behaviour in classes and
gives practical strategies for managing disruptive learners. It
focuses on the role of the teacher and how they can pre-empt
negative behaviour by using positive behaviour management
strategies. There are practical activities drawing on good
practice and research as well as activities for reflection and
action-planning.
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• While you can work through the module on your own and at
your own pace, you will get greater benefits by working
through it together with colleagues.
• If you are looking at the pdf on your computer you can type
your reflections into the boxes provided, and save your
progress for the next time you return to the module.
• There are links to videos embedded in the activities and
suggested answers for activities at the end of the unit, as
appropriate. There is also list with further reading related to
the content.
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Contents 3
Step 1 - Understanding behaviours of our ESOL prison learners 4
1A: Assessing my current knowledge and understanding
of positive behaviour management 5
1B: Understanding my learners 8
1C: Assessing my teaching style in managing classroom behaviour 11
Step 2 - Developing Strategies for managing negative behaviours 15
2A: Analysing styles of behaviour management strategies
to use in the prison classroom 16
2B: Adopting positive behaviour management strategies
in the classroom 18
2C: Exploring different levels of negative behaviour 20
Step 3 - Planning for good behaviour: rules, routines and protocols 22
3A: The teacher's role in ensuring positive behaviour 24
3B: Creating a stimulating learning environment 28
3C: Starting as you mean to go on 32
Reflection 36
Stage 1: What? 36
Stage 2: So what? 36
Stage 3: Now what? 36
Suggested answers to activities 37
Further reading 43
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This step will help you to answer the following questions
• What kinds of negative behaviours do learners in prison display?
• What are some of the causes of negative behaviour?
• How does the type of teacher I am affect my relationships with learners?
The pressures of prison life, the regime and culture are exacerbated for
those who have a limited experience of English and who may be a long
way from family and friend. ESOL prison learners extol encompass a wide
diversity of languages and levels of English language skills, with the
majority at a basic level.
While most of your ESOL learners will be eager to learn and participate in
class the complexity of issues and stresses in relationships between
learners in prison may result in negative behaviours.
This module introduces you to positive strategies that can help you to
manage a range of behaviours and help you consider your own practice as
a teacher.
Understanding behaviours of ESOL learners in prison
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Disruptive or non-compliant learners may be found in any group of
ESOL learners but they are more likely to be present in a prison class.
Positive behaviour management focuses on the methods we can adopt
to promote effective learning through building and maintaining teaching
environments where learners feel safe, valued and able to learn to the
very best of their ability.
There are things you can change in your classroom, but you can do little
about many aspects of prison life that affect teachers and you just have
to work around them.
You need to be aware of skills you can develop yourself, and the
support available to help you manage and grow positive behaviours in
your classroom. This includes teamwork and consistency of protocols
and rules across the education department, so learners are clear about
what is and what is not acceptable. We will focus on what you can build
on with your learners in your classroom.
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Assessing my current knowledge and understandingof positive behaviour management
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Activity 1: Reflection on developing my skills in positive behaviour management
How do you learn about positive behaviour management in you prison
classroom? How useful are these methods to you? Score them out of 10
How I learn about positive behaviour management Score
I talk to other teachers in prison and ask advice
I use observation reports of my teaching to help me reflect
I go on courses or complete on line or ‘face to face’ training
I discuss issues with my mentor or manager
I use the prison education guides and learner agreements
I try new approaches and reflect on how they work
I use experiences outside the classroom to help me
I understand the policy on behaviour available from my education department
I read books and articles
I watch other teachers
1. 2. 3.
Have a look at your scores.
• Which of the methods haven’t you tried or considered yet?
• Would any of the learning methods you have not tried yet be useful to
you?
• Who are the people that can help and support you?
It’s important to have a cohesive approach to managing behaviours in a
positive way. How and where could you discuss behaviour management
in your workplace?
Write down three possible sources of help in your workplace.
Click to see suggested answers
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Study your responses on the (sliding) scale. Identify the areas where
you need more support, practice or information. Refer to the reading
list and support ideas at the back of this pack for further help and
information.
Activity 2: Reflecting on positive behaviour management in my workplace
Thinking about you, your education department and your learners, read
the following statements and move the arrow between 1 and 10 to
show how closely your practice matches the following statements.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I have a framework in place that sets out clear expectations for my learners
I describe clearly to my learners the behaviour I expect from them
I praise my learners for behaviour that supports learning
I positively encourage and help build good working relationships between learners
I share a clear and common framework for positive behaviour management with my colleagues
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Activity 3 Issues affecting behaviour
These extracts describe some of the challenges for learners in prison.
A significant number of prisoners suffer from a psychotic disorder. 14% of women and 7% of men serving prison sentences have a psychotic disor-der; 23 and 14 times the level in the general population .The rate among the general public is about 4%.
26% of women and 16% of men said they had received treatment for a mental health problem in the year before custody.
Personality disorders are particularly prevalent among people in prison. 62% of male and 57% of female sentenced prisoners have a personality disorder.
49% of female and 23% of male prisoners in a Ministry of Justice study were assessed as suffering from anxiety and depression. 16% of the general UK population (12% of men and 19% of women) are estimated to be suffering from different types of anxiety and depression.
46% of women prisoners reported having attempted suicide at some point in their lives. This is more than twice the rate of male prisoners (21%) and higher than in the general UK population where 6% report having ever attempted suicide.
Adapted from the Prison Reform Trust (www.prisonreformtrust.org ) Civitas 2010
There is a proven correlation between illiteracy, innumeracy and offending.
Before custody:
• 52% of male offenders and 71% of female offenders have no qualificationswhatsoever .
• 48% of prisoners have literacy skills at or below level 1 and 65% havenumeracy skills at or below level 1.
• More than one three people in prison have a reading level below Level 1and 75% for writing.(ii)
• Level 1 is what is expected of an eleven year old.(iii)• Studies suggest that 23% of people who go into prison have very low IQsof less than 70
(www.civitas.org.uk/ crime/factsheet-youthoffendingpdf)
An introduction to family learningUnderstanding my learners
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Drug use in prison
70% of offenders report drug misuse prior to prison
51% report drug dependency
35% admit injecting behaviour
36% report heavy drinking: and
16% are alcohol dependent’
Drugs: Breaking the Cycle – Home Affairs committee 2012
There may be emotional issues affecting the learners in your classroom.
The Bromley briefings note that many parents in prison do not get to see their children and the disrup-tion to relationships and communi-cation with families can be highly distressing.
www.bromleytrust.org.uk
Click to see suggested answers
What these shocking statistics show is that your learners may need all
sorts of support apart from the help you give them with language. In
fact, what we see in the classroom is just the tip of iceberg. It’s what is
hidden beneath that we need to explore.
From your knowledge of your learners, and from the information in the
report extracts above, identify at least six of the behaviours you may
encounter in an ESOL prison classroom that may result from, or be
related to mental health issues and previous low attainment.
In addition many learners in prison are in a programme of drug or
alcohol recovery which, in extreme cases, may affect their long or short
term memory.
1.
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5.
6.
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Activity 4: The impact of learner culture
Learners’ cultural background may also have an effect in a classroom.
Read the profiles of the three learners from different cultures and
consider:
What management issues might they raise for you as a teacher and how
might you deal with them?
Click to see the suggested answers.
Camlo has moved many times between towns and countries throughout his life and has not attended school on a regular basis. Formal education is not highly valued in his culture. As a result he finds it difficult to sit in one place for long periods and concentrate for long on tasks. He is easily distracted.
Wang Lui is used to being in large classes. He is not used to asking questions, even if he doesn’t under-stand and is easily embar-rassed when asked a question he can’t answer. He has no experience of group or pair work and relies heavily on the teacher for direction.
For Adil it is important to have the right answers when the teacher asks, even if it means asking classmates for answers to questions he doesn’t know. Having the right answers is the important thing, not how you got them and he is happy to give answers to other learners who ask him.
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Building effective teacher / learner relationships is vitally important in
forming a good working environment in your classroom.
Activity 5:
Have a look at the model of teacher/learner relationships below1. Where
would you place yours with your learners?
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Assessing my teaching style in managing classroom behaviour.
DominantStrong sense of purpose in pursuingclear goals for learning and for class
management.Leadership: Tends to guide and control
Teacher-centred approach
CooperativeGreat concern for the needs and opinions of
leaners.Helpful, friendly Avoids strife and seeks
consensus
SubmissionLack of clarity of purpose Tendency to
submit to the will of the classEntirely unassertive, rather glum and
apologetic
OppositionEasily irritated by perceived lack of
cooperationNeed to ‘win’ if there is a
disagreement with learners
Idealteacher- learner
relationship
Too dominant• Too controlling• Lack of recognition of learners’
individual needs
Too cooperative• Too understanding and accepting of
apologies. • Waits for learners to be ready• Too eager to be accepted by learners
1Adapted from Geoff Petty Evidence Based Classroom Management and Discipline Chapter 26; accessed from www.geoffpetty.com November 2014
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Four strenghts I can build on Four areas I need to work on
1.
2.
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4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Research indicates that learners prefer a mix of dominant and
cooperative teaching approaches. While it is important to be a leader in
your classroom, it is always vital to cooperate and work with your
learners. In a prison environment achieving the right mix can be difficult
to achieve. Different classes may need different blends of dominant and
cooperative approaches, depending on the individuals that make up the
group and the way it develops. It’s likely you will need to adapt your
approach from class to class. Having a clear structure, procedures and
approaches is very important in a prison environment, yet you will be
working with vulnerable adults and so working with learners in a
supportive and empathetic way is very important.
Think about your teacher / learner relationship and how you interact
with your learners in the classroom. Write down 4 positive things about
the way you can build good teacher / learner relationships and 4 things
you do that you feel you would like to work on. Ask other teachers who
have seen you teach to look at your list and share your perceptions of
yourself.
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Dominant Co-operative Submissive Opposition
A learner is upset and keeps talking about their problem
Learners are not concentrating or staying on task
A learner refuses to do a task because they find it too difficult
Suggested answers at the end of the unit.
Activity 6a
Look at the description of teacher behaviours in the diagram above.
How differently might a teacher from each style typically react to the
following :
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Activity 6b
Now think how you might handle each situation and then decide which style
best describes your actions.
1. A learner is very upset and keeps talking about their problem
2. Learners are not concentrating or staying on task
3. A learner refuses to do a task because they find it too difficult
• Where would you place yourself on the model?
• Is being in the centre the best place to be?
Add the areas you would like to work on to improve your positive
behaviour management to your personal professional development
portfolio.
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Prison Educators against the odds. Rogers, L., Simonot, M. and Nartey, A.2014 IoE / publication p 19
For sure you have to be a certain kind of person to work in a prison
environment because you are called to be fair but firm, tolerant but not
taken advantage of, supportive, caring, willing to go the extra mile, you
need to be able to look at the whole person and not the criminality. You
need to show respect and acceptance regardless as to why they are in
prison. Not one day is the same and rarely is the day quiet or smooth as so
many people have so many issues coming up for them.
Working in a prison education environment is nothing like working in an
establishment outside. You are often dealing with emotional issues, health
issues, anger issues, sometimes very bad attitudes, very low motivation
and rock bottom confidence. Sometimes just the fact that the student
turns up the next day is an achievement. You also need a great sense of
humour as the depression that the men carry is huge ..., so a little
encouragement to lighten their mood is vital. It is also important to be
prepared for change, working with the class instead of being stiff and rigid
complying to a lesson plan for example if there has been a death in the
prison, many will be affected by it. Anything can kick off and you need to
be able to manage incidents in order for you and your class to be safe.
There are so many rules and regulations to follow working in a prison
environment.’
This step will help you to address the following questions:
• What kind of strategies can help to address different types of
challenging behaviour?
• Who else can help me?
• What’s my responsibility and what is not?
This extract summarises the challenges shared by teachers working in a
prison. All the issues highlighted require particular strategies to encourage
positive behaviour. As you read it note what you would do to address each
challenge.
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Analysing styles of behaviour management strategies to use in the prison classroom
Activity 7: Rita’s story
Rita teaches ESOL in a women’s prison. She is encountering problems
with behaviour in her class. Read her account of what is happening in
her classroom.
I’m not new to teaching in prison but it never gets any easier. I work
really hard to prepare lessons and interesting activities. There are only
six in the class I’ve got now, but they really try it on. Zelma’s the worst
she always comes in on a high and is very loud. She’s not rude, just loud;
she takes ages to settle down and disrupts the others. I end up shouting
at her, well, raising my voice, trying to get her to sit down and pay
attention.
Jan never wants to do any work. She won’t even look at me. I have to
threaten to send her back to her cell before she’ll do anything. She will
sit and tap her pen on the desk or make silly noises to disturb the others
and says she doesn’t understand what I want her to do.
Najma is OK, she tries to settle the others but always says the work is
too difficult and wants to take it back to her cell. I know her cell mate will
do it for her, so what’s the point? Suki sits next to Najma when she
attends – she often has appointments and comes in half way through
and that disturbs everyone as they want to find out what’s been going
on.
Meta is very withdrawn and rarely speaks. She won’t join in with group
activities. The others say that they don’t want to work with her as she
doesn’t pull her weight. Zelma’s said she’s thick, which isn’t true.
Sika is a chatterbox. She never stops talking and often swears, which I
know is unacceptable. She is good at her work and joins in well but no
one else can get a word in. She quickly completes her work and likes to
finish early to sit and chat. She really winds me up.
They all have disagreements and start bickering – nothing serious, it just
never stops! I’ve asked them to please stop – but they don’t.
What can I do? I’m worried about asking colleagues for help and
although my manager is supportive I don’t want to tell her I’m having
problems.
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Examine Rita’s actions as a teacher. Where would you put her on the
teacher – learner relationship scale in activity 1C? Give your reasons.
Here are some common elements that can result in creating negative
behaviour from learners. Not all are caused by the learners. Sometimes
a teacher’s behaviour in the classroom can result in negative learner
behaviour.
Identify the ones Rita encounters by choosing yes / no / or maybe.
Learners take charge by interrupting, shouting out answers, asking questions
Excessive teacher led activity and not enough active learning
Teacher doesn’t understand the cultural back-ground of the learners
Teacher helps individuals and doesn’t see what’s going on in the rest of the class
Shouting: as the noise in the group rises, the teacher starts to shout – to be heard or to ask the learners to be quiet
Unclear instructions – learners not sure what to do
Work set is undemanding – learners lose interest
Teacher does not prepare well for the class
Teacher doesn’t challenge inappropriate behaviour
Teacher talks too quietly and can’t be heard
yes no maybe
maybe
maybe
maybe
maybe
maybe
maybe
maybe
maybe
maybe
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
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Click to see suggested answers
Behaviour challenge What Rita could do One of my ideas
ensure a variety of short tasks
give instructions in a quiet voice
use non verbal signals
tactically ignore where possible and safe to do so
stay as calm as possible. breathe and give yourself a few seconds to respond
differentiate learning activities to ensure relevance
be clear about classroom behaviour expectations (or establish and agree ground rules for behaviour)
have games/ quizzes/ word searches or easy, fun activity ready to engage learners
Activity 8
In the table below we have suggested some strategies to resolve the
challenges Rita identified. Insert the issue from the list below beside the
possible strategies, then add an idea of your own .
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Adopting positive behaviour management strategies
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Watch video
Watch video
Watch video
Bill Rogers: Establishing trust to enable classroom co-operation. (3.15 mins)
Bill Rogers: Dealing with distractions confidently. (5.34 mins)
Bill Rogers: Ensuring a settled and focused class. (4.29 mins)
Click to see suggested answers
What are the main strategiesoutlined in the video?
What difference could thesethings make in your classroom?
1.
2.
3.
Activity 9
Watch the following videos which show an expert in school classroom
behaviour talking about strategies for effective behaviour manage-
ment. Although the context is different, ask yourself which of the
strategies would still be relevant in an adult ESOL prison classroom.
Fill in the table below after each video.
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Pushing Clicking pen on and off Kicking Swearing Bullying
Physical abuse Arguing about everything Acting the clown Out of seat
Racial abuse Avoiding work Interrupting the teacher Name calling
Misuse of equipment Talking instead of listening when asked
Rocking on chair Telling lies Stealing
Activity 10
Study the list of behaviours below.
1. Which behaviours are low level behaviours to be addressed by you in
the classroom?
2. Which behaviours are more serious and need to be addressed by you
and your education manager?
3. Which behaviours need to be addressed by prison officers?
Divide them into 3 categories and add them in the spaces below
Exploring different levels of negative behaviour
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Me in my classroom My manager and me The wider prison service
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Challenge What I did What else I could do
Activity 11
Think of three behaviour issues in your own classroom – which of these
strategies have you tried to resolve it?
What else could you try from this list?
What will you use the next time a similar situation arises?
• Give clear calm instructions
• Make eye contact with learner
• Revise ground rules and expected behaviour
• Make your expectations for the lesson clear
• Making your expectations of learner behaviour clear
• Stay as calm as possible (at least on the exterior)
• Use humour where appropriate
• Describe what you want from the learner – don’t plead!
• Ask learners to monitor their own classroom behaviour
• Make it clear not everything is open to negotiation – there are rules
• Give simple ultimatums – ‘Najma, if you can’t work alongside Zina
without constantly chattering, I will have to ask one of you to move to
the middle table’
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1Learning and Skills Development Agency (2007) ‘What’s your problem? Working with learners with challenging behaviour.’
This step will help you to answer the following questions:
• What is my role in ensuring a well-behaved class?
• How can I create a stimulating environment which keeps learners
engaged and motivated?
• How can I pre-empt poor behaviour?
Learners at Dewsbury College were asked to list the qualities of their ideal
teacher. They identified the following1:
• keeps order by being firm but not intimidating
• explains things clearly
• treats all learners fairly and equally
• is friendly and humorous
• gets to know learners’ names / treats them as humans
• tries adventurous strategies / variety of techniques
Interestingly, when teachers were asked to create the same list, they did
not mention keeping order. Mutual respect, clear boundaries and
expectations are highly valued by learners, alongside teaching skills,
variety and good humour.
In Step 1c, you considered the ideal and your own teacher-learner
relationship.
In Step 2 you thought about having authority and using strategies to deal
with challenging behaviours in class.
In Step 3 you will consider positive management techniques and your role Ste
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Planning for good behaviour: rules, routines and protocols
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in creating the foundation for a well-managed class. This firstly deals with
your persona, attitude and expectations as a teacher, secondly looks at
the ways you ensure good teaching, learning and engagement through the
activities you prepare and finally deals with establishing a good classroom
environment from induction onwards.
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The teacher’s role in ensuring positive behaviour
Activity 12: Teacher interventions
How important do you think the interventions below are in helping teach-
ers to create the foundation of good behaviour in class?
Rate each intervention strategy:
V very important - Q quite important - NV not very important.
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1. promoting class ground rules
2. being consistent in use of ground rules
3. stablishing class routines
4. recognising when learners are being attention seeking and not rewarding such behaviour
5. monitoring the class well to keep learners on task
6. giving simple, clear instructions
7. helping each learner clearly see recognise their progress
8. having appropriate seating arrangements
9. having clear turn-taking conventions
10. having well-planned lessons
11. waiting for the class to be quiet before starting activities
12. only reprimanding when absolutely necessary
13. ensuring all learners are involved in questioning and any other activities
14. making consequences of bad behaviour clear
15. intervening early to keep order
16. planning activities which involve group and pair work
17. having high expectations of learners and the class
18. having a reward/ merit system for
effort and hard work
Adapted from Gribble (1993) in LSDA (2007)
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Adapted from Gribble (1993) in LSDA (2007)
• using eye contact to keep learners on task and pre-empt
unwanted behaviour
• using body language which shows confidence
• giving classroom instructions politely, using please and thank you
• using a calm, confident and authoritative tone of voice
• using praise frequently
• valuing opinions and contributions of all learners
• never raising your voice
• diffusing difficult situations with humour
• taking a personal interest in learners
• lowering the voice to get learners’ attention
Activity 13: The teacher persona
The learners in the Dewsbury survey said they wanted their teacher to
be firm but not intimidating, friendly, humorous and treat all learners
fairly. Look at the list below and pick out your strengths and any areas
to work on.
Activity 14a: Building rapport and staying positive
A good rapport is valued by both learners and teachers goes a long way
towards maintaining positive behaviour in class. In the box below, add
to the list of possible ways to build up a strengthen your rapport with
learners.
• affirm their positive qualities regularly
• remember important things they’ve shared with you e.g. their birthdays,
interests
• recognise progress / achievement
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How can I improve and maintain my positive attitude, raise my expectations and have a genuine interest in each individual?
Activity 14b
However, learners’ poor behaviour and attitude can challenge even our
best efforts to maintain a positive relationship. Ask yourself this
question:
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Aggressive response Assertive response
Activity 15: Helping learners be assertive not aggressive.
Keeping relationships positive in the classroom may also be helped by
enabling learners to express themselves assertively rather than aggres-
sively towards you or other learners. Aggressive behaviour blames
others, threatens, insults and calls names. Assertive behaviour involves
saying how you feel about the situation and stating clearly what you
want to happen.
You could use some time in a lesson to help learners use assertive
language by showing some examples of aggressive language and
coming up with some ideas of how to say the same thing in an assertive
way. Two examples are given. In the other boxes, think of some aggres-
sive language you may hear in your own classes. Try to think of an
assertive response you could teach your learners.
ESOL learners can appear rude due to not having the language skills to
express politeness so this could fit very well with a language lesson
about using polite language. The lesson would be a good opportunity to
discuss a breakdown in communication and role play on how to respond
assertively not aggressively.
I don’t want to do this work. It’s no good and boring. You don’t give us easy work. You’re not a good teacher.
Don’t take my answers. Do your work. You’re lazy and stupid.
This work is hard for me and I feel unhappy about it. Can you give me easier work?
Please don’t take my answers. I don’t like it. You must do your own work.
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Activity 16: Engagement and motivation
Two of the qualities of an ideal teacher that learners identified related to
their teaching – giving clear explanations, using adventurous strategies
and a variety of techniques. These help increase engagement, enjoyment
and participation and help learners focus on being productive rather than
disruptive in class.
Motivation is also an important factor in the learning environment.
Learners may not always come to class with a strong motivation to
improve their English and may find the experience of learning
de-motivating. Alan Rodgers (1996) wrote, ‘we forget that initial motivation
to learn may be weak and die; alternatively it can be increased and
directed into new channels.’1 Seeing the relevance of what is being taught
and having success are important factors in increasing intrinsic motivation
to study.
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Creating a stimulating learning environment
1cited in Harmer (2007) The practice of English language teaching
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Click to see suggested answers
M/E
1. Start every lesson with a memorable or fun icebreaker
2. Give both written and oral instructions
3. Explain lesson objectives and refer back to them at the end to show achievement
4. Focus some lesson content on positive aspects of learner countries – role models, food, achievements, areas of natural beauty, as well as their interests
5. Use some kind of game, quiz or fun activity every lesson
6. Use a mix of pair and group work every lesson
7. Include learner ideas in planning lesson topics and language
8. Create opportunities for learners to discuss their ideas and opinions regularly
9. Comment in every lesson on any positive progress made by individuals
10. Differentiate tasks to suit different levels of learners
11. Develop a simple reward or merit system – e.g. stickers, stamps, certificate
12. Use the interactive whiteboard or PowerPoint to demonstrate language points, tasks and check answers, if available
13. Use flashcard and cue card activities regularly
14. Increase learner talking time
15. Change activities frequently throughout the lesson to increase the pace
16. Keep lessons relevant to prison situation and learner needs
17. Keep learning active: moving round the classroom for some activities
18. Set realistic goals with learners.
Look at the list of strategies below and decide whether they would
stimulate the learners’ intrinsic motivation to learn and improve their
English (M) or their engagement in and enjoyment of the lesson (E)
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1. “I make wall posters in the class which highlight key points. I usually do a ‘Pronunciation Hit List’ and add to the list each lesson words they have particular problems with. It means I remember to practise with them regularly. We do a preposi-tions list which we keep updating class by class. Learners made a capital letter poster themselves.”
2. “I like to use the learners as ‘teachers’. They like it when I say they are the teacher - they even get quite bossy! We do regular spelling practice so one of them is the ‘teacher’, gives the test and marks it then they swap over. If a learner has been absent, I ask the other learners to be the teacher and recap the key learning points. They also write tests for each other – gap fill questions or anagrams, for example, and give them to another learner to solve”
4. “I use questionnaires a lot. Learners have to ask three or four others the same questions – it gets everyone talking and they get to know each other better.”
3. “I use games and quizzes often - a recap quiz to start or during the lesson. I tell the learners things I will test them on at the end. I use traditional formats like bingo and games with dice or I use ideas from teaching resource books and the internet. My learners really enjoy prizes. I don’t give points, they win toy pretend money or I take in pictures of prizes to win and hand them out at the end.”
Activity 17: Successful strategies from prison classrooms
Look at four ideas from teachers for creating a stimulating learning
environment and motivating learners. Do you find them useful or
impractical? How could you adapt them for your learners?
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Click to see suggested answers
Activity 18: Learning styles
Individuals respond better to some styles of activity than others so make
sure you cater for the three main learning styles – auditory (the main
stimulus is listening), visual (the main stimulus is visual) and kinaesthetic
(the main stimulus is practical and hands-on).
Look again at the activity ideas suggested by the four teachers and decide
which learning styles would be stimulated by the activities involved.
3. 4.
1. 2.
How do you try to cater for different learning styles in your lessons?
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‘One of the most useful strategies that staff can use is to negotiate
ground rules of behaviour with the learners. In such a situation, staff
and learners make their expectations explicit by agreeing openly
what behaviours they regard as unacceptable.’ (NIACE, 2012)
Prisoners are bound by rules imposed by the regime and may welcome
the chance to be involved in setting ground rules to create the best
possible learning environment. Having a stake in the process, having their
views valued and feeling they have some control in setting boundaries
should support good behaviour.
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Starting as you mean to go on
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1. interaction between learners
2. acceptable learner language
3. respecting others
4. equipment for class
5. time-keeping
6. absence
7. speaking out in class
Activity 19: Ground rules
In the space below, note how you could incorporate setting ground rules in a lesson classes in the areas listed 1-7 and think of any you could add.
Now consider these four questions:
• Who decides the ground rules in your class – you, the learners or both?
• How explicit are you about these rules?
• How consistent are you in applying these rules in your classes?
• How do you ensure learners’ co-operation in implementing the rules?
For further reading on the benefits and implementations of ground rules
see NIACE (2012) p 37-38
Click to see suggested answers
Class Rules
In our classes we:
Always:
Never:
Do
Do
Do
Do
Don’t
Don’t
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Activity 20: Induction
New class induction is a good time to focus on developing good relation-
ships and a positive culture in the classroom. It’s the time to establish
ground rules and include activities to encourage social bonding and
positive attitudes to each other.
Which of the activities below could you use or adapt for your new classes?
Activity 1: Get to know you: discuss as a class (or in smaller groups
then feed back) what learners have in common – food preferences,
likes, dislikes, hobbies etc. – and what is unique to each learner. Record
the information on paper with a large circle drawn in the middle. Things
in common are written in the circle and the unique elements are
written in the space around the circle.
(Idea taken from http://www.diversityanddialogue.org.uk/resources)
Activity 2: Cultural awareness: give each learner a piece of paper and
ask them to draw their national flag, and note their typical national
food/ drink/ games/ sport/ hobbies, famous people and places. Before
each learner presents details about their country, other learners
should have the chance to say what they think they know about the
country and be able to ask questions after the presentation.
Activity 3: Respecting others: write the word pairs listen/ speak,
share/ take, rude/ polite on the board. Clarify meanings. Ask learners
when it is good to speak and when it’s good to listen to each other, if
it’s good to take or share with each other and what they think is polite
behaviour and rude behaviour.
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Click to see suggested answers
1. Explaining class ground rules:
a) tell the learner the rules one to one
b) ask the other learners to explain the ground rules
c) give the new learner a hand out with them on
2. Getting to know other learners:
a) ask the learners to introduce themselves
b) do a get to know you activity
c) ask the learner to introduce him/ herself to the class
3. Cultural awareness:
a) do a cultural awareness activity from Activity 20
b) ask the learner to tell everyone about their country
c) teacher asks the class what they know and about the new
learner’s country.
Activity 21: New learners in established classes
Classes may change frequently owing to prisoners being transferred to
other prisons, released or new inmates joining at any time. It’s important
to make them feel part of the class and aware of the class rules and ethos.
Look at the induction areas below and decide which might be the best
option for dealing with a new learner.
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In this module you have considered how you can develop strategies for
positive behaviour management, understand your learners more and
create a stimulating learning environment. Now spend a short time
reflecting on what you have learnt.
Stage 1: What?
Consider what you want to remember about:
• understanding the backgrounds of your learners
• building the teacher/ learner relationship
• strategies for managing negative behaviour
• positive behaviour management good practice
• creating a stimulating learning environment and motivating learners.
• planning for good behaviour from induction onwards
Stage 2: So what?
Reflect by considering your thoughts and feelings about the content in the
module and making notes.
• How do you feel now about the way you normally manage behaviour in
your classes?
• Have there been any changes in your thinking about how you interact
with learners, the strategies you use and how you plan for good
behaviour?
Stage 3: Now what?
How can you apply what you have learnt in this module to your own
teaching context? Use these points to help make an action plan.
• Identify any further sources of help in continuing to improve your
behaviour management, lesson planning and good classroom practice.
• Identify specific strategies and interventions to put into practice with
specific classes and learners.
• Put at least one of the suggestions from above into practice in the next
2 weeks.
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Activity 1
Discussion with your mentor, team meetings, CPD events, colleagues, staff
focus groups, reading articles / research about behaviour management.
Activity 3: Possible behaviours:
Low self esteem
Lack of confidence
Not understand acceptable classroom behaviour
Range of LLDD issues
Poor literacy levels
Dyslexia
Depression
Anxiety
Activity 4
Camlo: may become disruptive if he is bored and restless and so distract
others. He may not prioritise his own learning and as a result may make
little tangible progress.
In response: Keep the lessons fast paced and varied with plenty of kinaes-
thetic activities and the chance to get up and move. Praise and encour-
agement can increase motivation when it’s genuine feedback about any
progress being made.
Wang Lui: it might be difficult to get him to answer questions in front of
the whole class. He may often hang back in pair and group work and let
others contribute first.
In response: include him in questioning but nominate others first. Try to
ask him something he can answer correctly to build his confidence. To
check if he has any questions, ask him one-to-one or ask all the learners
one by one rather than directing a general question to the whole class. In
time, learners who are unused to pair or group work usually come to value
it and take part more readily as they feel more comfortable in the class.
Difficulty Socialising and working with others
Withdrawn behaviour
Lack of social skills
Aggressive behaviour
Effects of drug withdrawal programmes on personality
Long / short term memory problems caused by drug and alcohol addiction
Activity 16
1. E 2. E 3. M 4. E 5. E 6. M
7. M 8. M 9. M 10. E 11. M 12. E
13. E 14. E 15. E 16. M 17. E 18. M
Activity 18
1. Visual/Kinaesthetic – wall posters, making a poster
2. Auditory/visual/kinaesthetic – spelling tests, creating games/
activities
3. Kinaesthetic/auditory – games, listening and responding
4. Kinaesthetic/auditory – walking dictation
Activity 19 Examples
1. Be friendly and work together well in groups.
2. Be polite.
3. Take turns to speak.
4. Bring a pen, paper and previous class work every lesson.
5. Share classroom equipment with each other.
6. Come to class on time or give a reason for being late.
7. Tell your teacher if you cannot come to class or you have
to leave early.
8. Help other learners.
Don’t be rude.
Don’t use bad language.
Don’t interrupt.
The class could make a poster (possibly illustrated) of the rules for the
classroom or a handout to be copied for each learner. You just use
positive statements (do...) or use the lesson to teach the imperative,
always/never and so on.
Activity 21
1b. This option re-establishes and reinforces the rules for the
whole class again.
2b. Although this takes time and has to be different from other such
activities done previously, it’s the most interesting and
non-threatening way for the new learner.
3a. Something which involves the whole class rather than singling
out the new learner may be the most helpful.
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Adil: it is difficult to judge whether a learner really understands and is
making progress if it is unclear which work is their own and which is
copied from others.
In response: make it clear to the class how important it is that you see
their own work – right or wrong – so that you are able to help them
improve. Stress that wrong answers are not a problem because it helps
you know what to recap. Show learners you are aware of the issue and
gently remind them to do their own work. Check understanding orally
frequently.
Activity 6a
Dominant Co-operative Submissive Opposition
A learner is upset and keeps talking about their problem
Tells the learner to be quiet and deal with the problem outside the class
Allows a little time for the learner to ‘ get things off their chest’ then continues with the class
Allows the class to become involved with the problem and focuses all attention on one learner
Tells the learner they have come to the class to learn and need to get on with their work
Tells the learners they are a bad class and must get on with their work immediately or will be reported
Asks the class/ individuals how they are getting on: what’s stopping them progressing?
Asks the class what other activity they would like to do as they find this one boring
Teacher gets angry with the class for not concentrating and raises their voice
Tells the learner they were given instructions and must get on with the task
Asks what it is the learner is finding difficult and then support learning
Says ‘Don’t worry, I’ll give you something different.’
Reminds the learner it was too difficult last week, as well. Asks why are they finding it difficult?
Learners are not concentrating or staying on task
A learner refuses to do a task because they find it too difficult
Activity 16
1. E 2. E 3. M 4. E 5. E 6. M
7. M 8. M 9. M 10. E 11. M 12. E
13. E 14. E 15. E 16. M 17. E 18. M
Activity 18
1. Visual/Kinaesthetic – wall posters, making a poster
2. Auditory/visual/kinaesthetic – spelling tests, creating games/
activities
3. Kinaesthetic/auditory – games, listening and responding
4. Kinaesthetic/auditory – walking dictation
Activity 19 Examples
1. Be friendly and work together well in groups.
2. Be polite.
3. Take turns to speak.
4. Bring a pen, paper and previous class work every lesson.
5. Share classroom equipment with each other.
6. Come to class on time or give a reason for being late.
7. Tell your teacher if you cannot come to class or you have
to leave early.
8. Help other learners.
Don’t be rude.
Don’t use bad language.
Don’t interrupt.
The class could make a poster (possibly illustrated) of the rules for the
classroom or a handout to be copied for each learner. You just use
positive statements (do...) or use the lesson to teach the imperative,
always/never and so on.
Activity 21
1b. This option re-establishes and reinforces the rules for the
whole class again.
2b. Although this takes time and has to be different from other such
activities done previously, it’s the most interesting and
non-threatening way for the new learner.
3a. Something which involves the whole class rather than singling
out the new learner may be the most helpful.
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Behaviour challenge What Rita could do One of my ideas
ensure a variety of short tasks
give instructions in a quiet voice
use non verbal signals
tactically ignore where possible and safe to do so
stay calm
differentiate learning activities
explain your expectations clearly
have games/ quizzes/ word searches or easy, fun activityimprove lesson beginnings
swearing
class disagreements and bickering
support short concentration spans
learners finding work too difficult
attention seeking behaviour
low level disturbances like pen tapping
incessant chattering
have a ‘get it off your chest’ session for the first 10 minutes of the class
revisit ground rules
reinforce good behaviour with praise
use question / answerwork in pairs / small groups
look carefully and revisit initial assessment
give learner a choice – behaviour / consequence
give your individual attention to their work
change the activity
Learners take charge by interrupting, shouting out answers, asking questions
Excessive teacher led activity and not enough active learning
Teacher doesn’t understand the cultural back-ground of the learners
Teacher helps individuals and doesn’t see what’s going on in the rest of the class
Shouting: as the noise in the group rises, the teacher starts to shout – to be heard or to ask the learners to be quiet
Unclear instructions – learners not sure what to do
Work set is undemanding – learners lose interest
Teacher does not prepare well for the class
Teacher doesn’t challenge inappropriate behaviour
Teacher talks too quietly and can’t be heard
yes
maybe
maybe
maybe
maybe
maybe
no
no
yes
yes
Activity 7
Activity 8
Activity 16
1. E 2. E 3. M 4. E 5. E 6. M
7. M 8. M 9. M 10. E 11. M 12. E
13. E 14. E 15. E 16. M 17. E 18. M
Activity 18
1. Visual/Kinaesthetic – wall posters, making a poster
2. Auditory/visual/kinaesthetic – spelling tests, creating games/
activities
3. Kinaesthetic/auditory – games, listening and responding
4. Kinaesthetic/auditory – walking dictation
Activity 19 Examples
1. Be friendly and work together well in groups.
2. Be polite.
3. Take turns to speak.
4. Bring a pen, paper and previous class work every lesson.
5. Share classroom equipment with each other.
6. Come to class on time or give a reason for being late.
7. Tell your teacher if you cannot come to class or you have
to leave early.
8. Help other learners.
Don’t be rude.
Don’t use bad language.
Don’t interrupt.
The class could make a poster (possibly illustrated) of the rules for the
classroom or a handout to be copied for each learner. You just use
positive statements (do...) or use the lesson to teach the imperative,
always/never and so on.
Activity 21
1b. This option re-establishes and reinforces the rules for the
whole class again.
2b. Although this takes time and has to be different from other such
activities done previously, it’s the most interesting and
non-threatening way for the new learner.
3a. Something which involves the whole class rather than singling
out the new learner may be the most helpful.
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Me in my classroom My manager and me The wider prison service
Rocking on chair
Arguing about everything
Talking instead of listeningwhen asked
Interrupting the teacher
Acting the clown
Out of chair
Clicking pen on and off
Mild pushing and shoving
Racial abuse
Physical abuse
Stealing KickingAggressive or violent behaviour
Telling lies
Misuse of equipment
Swearing
Refusal to do work
(but may include anything
from Me in my classroom
depending on severity!)
Activity 9
1. When starting to get to know new learners, deal with the lack of focus
on work in a supportive, non-threatening way before dealing with the
presenting behavioural issue calmly.
2. Apply ground rules consistently and give learners clear directed
choices in response to a request to behave appropriately. Never get
drawn into an argument and tactically ignore resulting incidental behav-
iour.
3. Use directional language rather than questions such as ‘Can you...? for
settling the class. Keep the language positive and avoid using ‘Don’t..’.
Use calm, clear, positive language.
Activity 10
Activity 14b
You could find out about the learners backgrounds to help understand
the reasons for their behaviour. Notice and praise any positive qualities.
Also make sure you have a colleagues to support you when things get on
top of you.
Activity 16
1. E 2. E 3. M 4. E 5. E 6. M
7. M 8. M 9. M 10. E 11. M 12. E
13. E 14. E 15. E 16. M 17. E 18. M
Activity 18
1. Visual/Kinaesthetic – wall posters, making a poster
2. Auditory/visual/kinaesthetic – spelling tests, creating games/
activities
3. Kinaesthetic/auditory – games, listening and responding
4. Kinaesthetic/auditory – walking dictation
Activity 19 Examples
1. Be friendly and work together well in groups.
2. Be polite.
3. Take turns to speak.
4. Bring a pen, paper and previous class work every lesson.
5. Share classroom equipment with each other.
6. Come to class on time or give a reason for being late.
7. Tell your teacher if you cannot come to class or you have
to leave early.
8. Help other learners.
Don’t be rude.
Don’t use bad language.
Don’t interrupt.
The class could make a poster (possibly illustrated) of the rules for the
classroom or a handout to be copied for each learner. You just use
positive statements (do...) or use the lesson to teach the imperative,
always/never and so on.
Activity 21
1b. This option re-establishes and reinforces the rules for the
whole class again.
2b. Although this takes time and has to be different from other such
activities done previously, it’s the most interesting and
non-threatening way for the new learner.
3a. Something which involves the whole class rather than singling
out the new learner may be the most helpful.
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Activity 16
1. E 2. E 3. M 4. E 5. E 6. M
7. M 8. M 9. M 10. E 11. M 12. E
13. E 14. E 15. E 16. M 17. E 18. M
Activity 18
1. Visual/Kinaesthetic – wall posters, making a poster
2. Auditory/visual/kinaesthetic – spelling tests, creating games/
activities
3. Kinaesthetic/auditory – games, listening and responding
4. Kinaesthetic/auditory – walking dictation
Activity 19 Examples
1. Be friendly and work together well in groups.
2. Be polite.
3. Take turns to speak.
4. Bring a pen, paper and previous class work every lesson.
5. Share classroom equipment with each other.
6. Come to class on time or give a reason for being late.
7. Tell your teacher if you cannot come to class or you have
to leave early.
8. Help other learners.
Don’t be rude.
Don’t use bad language.
Don’t interrupt.
The class could make a poster (possibly illustrated) of the rules for the
classroom or a handout to be copied for each learner. You just use
positive statements (do...) or use the lesson to teach the imperative,
always/never and so on.
Activity 21
1b. This option re-establishes and reinforces the rules for the
whole class again.
2b. Although this takes time and has to be different from other such
activities done previously, it’s the most interesting and
non-threatening way for the new learner.
3a. Something which involves the whole class rather than singling
out the new learner may be the most helpful.
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Activity 16
1. E 2. E 3. M 4. E 5. E 6. M
7. M 8. M 9. M 10. E 11. M 12. E
13. E 14. E 15. E 16. M 17. E 18. M
Activity 18
1. Visual/Kinaesthetic – wall posters, making a poster
2. Auditory/visual/kinaesthetic – spelling tests, creating games/
activities
3. Kinaesthetic/auditory – games, listening and responding
4. Kinaesthetic/auditory – walking dictation
Activity 19 Examples
1. Be friendly and work together well in groups.
2. Be polite.
3. Take turns to speak.
4. Bring a pen, paper and previous class work every lesson.
5. Share classroom equipment with each other.
6. Come to class on time or give a reason for being late.
7. Tell your teacher if you cannot come to class or you have
to leave early.
8. Help other learners.
Don’t be rude.
Don’t use bad language.
Don’t interrupt.
The class could make a poster (possibly illustrated) of the rules for the
classroom or a handout to be copied for each learner. You just use
positive statements (do...) or use the lesson to teach the imperative,
always/never and so on.
Sug
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nsw
ers
to
act
ivit
ies
Activity 21
1b. This option re-establishes and reinforces the rules for the
whole class again.
2b. Although this takes time and has to be different from other such
activities done previously, it’s the most interesting and
non-threatening way for the new learner.
3a. Something which involves the whole class rather than singling
out the new learner may be the most helpful.
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43Fu
rth
er
read
ing
an
d w
eb
site
s
Braggins, J. and Talbot, J. (2003) Time to Learn: Prisoners’ Views on Prison
Education. London: Prison Reform Trust.
Harmer, J (2007) The practice of English language teaching. (4th Ed)
Harlow. Natale, L, (2010) Factsheet - Education In Prisons
NIACE (2012) Managing challenging behaviour within skills provision for
unemployed adults. http://www.niace.org.uk/sites/default/files/project-
docs/managing-challenging- behaviour_web_final.pdf
Petty, G, (2009) Evidenced Based Teaching: a practical approach. Nelson
Thornes Rogers L, Simonot M and Nartey A, (2014)Prison Educators:
professionalism against the odds Institute of Education/University and
College Union
Prison Reform Trust (2014) Prison: the facts. Bromley Briefings Summer
2014 (www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk)
The Manchester College Exploratory Research: Staff perception of learner
behaviour, behaviour management, the introduction of a ‘Time-Out’ room
and the behaviour and educational experience of young people within the
Learning & Skills Department at HMYOI Hindley.
Tissot ,C et al (2007) What’s your problem? Working with learners with
challenging behaviour. Learning and Skills Development Agency Available
at: http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files/LSDA_WhatsyourProblem.pdf